Comments on: Moderate senators back Pentagon’s ‘Don’t Ask’ review

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:15:12 +0000

In truly civilized countries with real leaders who understand leadership, these laws are done away with very quickly. No long, drawn out studies. When the US finds a leader we will rid our laws of this type of disgusting discrimination. This country and this president should be ashamed.

By: News Update: LGBT advising and more « Lambda at Harvard Law School

News Update: LGBT advising and more « Lambda at Harvard Law School — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:43:19 +0000

[...] Tell Update More US Senators are supporting the Pentagon’s review of the DADT policy: DC Agenda Meanwhile, a recent Quinnipiac poll shows that 75% of Americans support allowing gays to serve [...]

By: james egan

james egan — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:54:33 +0000

Sen Susn Collins was interested to learn that in some NATO gays serve openly. I bet she’d be more interested to learn that they serve openly in all but two countries;nthe USA and Turkey.

By: GPP

GPP — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:40:17 +0000

If the democrats and President Obama don’t get the DADT repeal done as part of the Defense authorization bill in 2010, then DADT will probably not be repealed at all during Obama’s first term. The votes just won’t be there in the U.S. Senate after the November 2010 elections (well actually come January 2011 when the new Congress is sworn in).

While this review isn’t a bad thing in theory because it will be the first time that the MILITARY is officially undertaking the study of this issue since instituting DADT 17 years ago, it might have been better if Obama and Gates had bothered to go before Congress and undertaken this task a year ago when Obama first came into office rather than just now coming forth publicly with the idea and saying it will now take one year to do the review. I know they had to deal with the whole issue with the Afghanistan surge last year, but this small review panel could have been discussed and set up at some point LAST YEAR (and the results being issued at the beginning of THIS YEAR), instead of just now being put together.

That said, I also have trouble with the emphasis that Gates and Mullen want to place on the opinion of those heterosexual soliders, sailors, marines, and airmen and their families. For those of you who watched the whole Senate Committee Hearing, MO Senator McCaskill asked Mullin how he was going to get the opinions of gay and lesbian servicemembers incorporated into his survey of opinions of how to go about repealing DADT. Mullin apparently didn’t have much of an answer because he stammered before he said that he didn’t know given that DADT prevents gay and lesbian servicemembers from identifying themselves and voicing their needs/opinions.

Now I’ve never been in the military, but I’ve had the impression that military members and their families are pretty good at adjusting to what the military leaders give them (orders/benefits/rules/etc.). I’ve had the impression that military members and their families don’t get much of a say as to their benefits and to their needs and desires. So, I’m pretty sure that if the military leadership told them that this is how it’s going to be after we repeal DADT, then the military servicemembers and their families would do a pretty good job of adjusting to life after the repeal of DADT. But that’s just my impression of the professionalism and good order of military way of life.

By: Doctor Whom

Doctor Whom — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:50:29 +0000

Reviewing and studying are politician-speak for “I don’t want to do anything, but I want it to look as though I were.”

By: Bill

Bill — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:03:22 +0000

What the fuck is there to review? It’s time for LEADERSHIP from the president — get off you ass and lead, like Truman and sign equality into law. How could someone who ran such a brilliant campaign be so inept politically as president? And why does the GLBT “leadership” stand behind him like cattle in support.

By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:50:25 +0000

This really doesn’t sound good, judging from what these clowns are saying. It looks like the Dems and the supportive Republicans are moving towards waiting a year before doing anything. This is bad because the Dems will most likely be fewer in number after the election, if they are still in power and the Republicans will most certainly kill the effort once they are in charge again. Its just more evidence that the Dems aren’t delivering on their promises to the LGBT Community and of course, the Republicans are always against us. The bottom line is, the Dems better repeal DADT this year, because it won’t happen otherwise, and if they don’t vote on it, along with ENDA and/or the Domestic Partnership Benefits & Obligations Act this year, they can forget about getting any support, money or votes from me. If they throw us under the bus, I say we should return the favor and leave them hanging in 2010 & 2012 (wouldn’t want Obama to miss out on his share of the blame)!

By: Peter the Saint

Peter the Saint — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:26:52 +0000

Imagine the military leadership asking Aunt Alice something like this: “Ma’am, how do you feel, knowing that your son or daughter may be showering naked next to a known homosexer (i.e. pervert)? Is that ok with you? Are you scared?? Huh?? Are you??”

If the Pentagon does indeed ask servicemen and women AND THEIR FAMILIES about “their feelings” regarding overturning DADT – as they’ve said they would – then this “Review” has the potential to become as hurtful and as biased and as harmful as any Prop 8 style campaign. With a similar outcome. No civil rights should ever be put up for a vote.